Democrats And Republicans Break Party Lines Over Health Care, Taxes

The House of Representatives is set to vote, for the 31st time, to repeal President Obama’s health care reform law Wednesday.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has said the vote will strengthen his party’s resolve to ultimately repeal the law. Democrats have pounced, saying that the Speaker is wasting time, and some Republicans are conflicted about the vote, since they would be voting to strike down some provisions people actually like.

The New York Times reports that Republicans from moderate districts believe they should focus on passing an alternative to the President’s health care plan, in addition to the repeal vote.

Democrats are facing similar problems supporting the President’s call to allow tax cuts to expire on Americans making more than $250,000 a year.

As the Times reports:

The No. 2 House Democrat, Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, indicated that he would be open to a $1 million income threshold, while Senator Ben Nelson, a Nebraska Democrat who is retiring at the end of this session of Congress, called that a bare minimum. “My druthers are to extend all of the tax cuts to continue the economic recovery,” he said. “But if this leads to a compromise, Congress should at least extend the cuts for everyone under $1 million.”

Republicans want to extend the tax cuts for all Americans. House Republicans and Senate Democrats plan votes on their tax measures by the end of July.